LOUIS PHILIPPE SENDS CONDOLENCES TO FRANCIS I ON THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER KING FERDINAND I LOUIS PHILIPPE I (D’Orleans, 1773-1850, King of the French from 1830-1848, the July Monarchy)

Fine Letter Signed, in French with translation, as Duke of Orleans, with autograph subscription, to “His Majesty, the King of the Two Sicilies and Naples” saying that the “Prince of Castelcicala gave me the letter that Your Majesty did me the honour of writing to me on January 5th. I can only respond by expressing my deep sorrow for the overwhelming loss we have made of the late King Your August Father. Very grateful for the kindness with which Your Majesty is willing to announce this fatal event to me and for all the affection that He deigns to show me, I beg Him to accept my respectful congratulations on his accession to the Throne, as well as the tribute of my respect, my unwavering attachment and my wishes for the prosperity of his Reign. Sire, I am the very humble and very obedient Servant and Brother-in-law of Your Majesty...”, 2 sides 4to., with original autograph envelope with seal, Paris, 11th February

After the abdication of Napoleon, Louis Philippe, known as Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, returned to France during the reign of his cousin Louis XVIII, at the time of the Bourbon Restoration. Louis Philippe had reconciled the Orléans family with Louis XVIII in exile, and was once more to be found in the elaborate royal court. However, his resentment at the treatment of his family, the cadet branch of the House of Bourbon under the Ancien Régime, caused friction between him and Louis XVIII, and he openly sided with the liberal opposition.
FERDINAND I (1751-1825, King of the Two Sicilies) was deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799, and again by a French invasion in 1806, before being restored in 1815 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. He was succeeded by his son FRANCIS I (1777-1830). At the death of his older brother Carlo, Duke of Calabria in 1778, Francis became the heir-apparent to the thrones of Naples and Sicily with the title Duke of Calabria, the traditional title of the heir apparent to the Neapolitan throne.
Transcription
Sire,
Le Prince de Castelcicala m’a remis la lettre que Votre Majesté m’a fait l’honneur de m’écrire le 5 janvier dernier. Je ne puis y répondre que par l’expression de ma profonde douleur pour la perte accablante que nous avons faite du feu Roi Votre Auguste Père. Bien reconnaissant de la bonté avec laquelle Votre Majesté veut bien m’annoncer ce funeste événement et de toute l’affection qu’Elle daigne me témoigner, je La supplie d’agréer mes respectueuses félicitations sur son avènement au Trône, ainsi que l’hommage de mon respect, de mon inébranlable attachement et de mes vœux pour la prospérité de son Règne. Je suis, Sire, de Votre Majesté, le très humble et très obéissant Serviteur et Beau-frère,
Louis Philippe D’Orléans. Paris, ce 11 février 1825
Translation
Sire, The Prince of Castelcicala gave me the letter that Your Majesty did me the honour of writing to me on January 5th. I can only respond by expressing my deep sorrow for the overwhelming loss we have made of the late King Your August Father. Very grateful for the kindness with which Your Majesty is willing to announce this fatal event to me and for all the affection that He deigns to show me, I beg Him to accept my respectful congratulations on his accession to the Throne, as well as the tribute of my respect, my unwavering attachment and my wishes for the prosperity of his Reign.. Sire, I am the very humble and very obedient Servant and Brother-in-law of Your Majesty,
Louis Philippe D’Orléans. Paris, February 11, 1825

Item Date:  1825

Stock No:  42419      £775

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